Table Structures

In this lesson, we will learn about the proper use of tables and table structures in this section.

We have been using tables for different purposes in our documents such as for data presentation, content and so on. But, there are some important things we should know while using tables in the documents otherwise the document itself becomes inaccessible.

Table Structures Rules

For accessibility, the structure of the table should be simple, The header row of the should be defined clearly and the short information of the table  should be presented either as the caption or in ALT text. Only after then, the screen readers can access the table properly and the users get to know all the information of that table. The screen reader has no relation with the content of the table. It can easily read out the contents of the table from left to right and from top to button. But, the screen readers can’t access properly if the format and structure of the table is complex. 

Another important thing to remember is we should not merge the cells in any table because the screen reader can’t understand and read those merged cells.

Now, we understand properly regarding the proper use of tables and ensure accessibility in tables. We will apply this technique practically in different types of documents in coming chapters.